The present invention relates to a collapsible and telescoping fishing net for use in the sport of angling when landing a fish. More particularly, the invention relates to an assembly of a fishing net that collapses and stores within the net""s handle that can be conveniently telescoped and deployed by rapidly extracting the net from the handle and locking the net into an open or expanded position.
Fishing nets are widely utilized as auxiliary equipment by fishermen in order to capture and land a fish caught on a hook. Fishing nets are particularly useful for wading fisherman and highly desirable for one fishing from a bank or a boat. Many times the problem for a fisherman is to produce an operable fishing net while suddenly encountering a fish and having a simultaneous need to reel in the fish and apply tension to a fishing line. While holding a pole and line that is hooked to a fish, a fisherman is relegated to having no more than one hand available for operation of a fishing net. For a long while, nets suited for one hand operation have been available as an elongated rigid handle carrying at one end a permanently affixed loop frame holding a net.
However, such nets with the frame mounting the net fixed to and as a permanent extension from the handle are inconvenient because the complete unit has considerable length and is difficult to transport by the angler in association with other equipment. Further, the exposed net is prone to snag and catch in the natural obstacles associated with boating, wading, and fishing.
Many fish nets have been designed before with handles and nets condensed, yet with features to help provide for a quick change of the condensed net to one which is operational. U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,291 describes a landing net wherein the net and its frame can be easily collapsed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,272 describes a fish net that can be collapsed and stored in the net handle after some substantial manipulation of the net and frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,177 describes a fish net and frame that is collapsible and storable in the handle by a combination of telescoping and folding the frame and net. U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,790 describes a fish net with a frame and a handle wherein the fish net and frame collapse and pivot into a more compact assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,700 describes a fish net, frame, and handle that can be collapsed and telescoped into the handle, but is not easily manipulated from the collapsed condition to the operational position and back again. U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,773 describes a fish net, frame, and handle that can be collapsed by folding and telescoping of the frame, but does not provide a cover for the stored net. U.S. Pat. No. 3,167,878 describes a fish net, arms, and handle that can be collapsed into the handle by manually compressing the arms, while the arms normally produce a curvature to provide a widely-open net frame. U.S. Pat. No. 1,169,311 describes a fish net, a three-section frame, and handle that can be collapsed and telescoped into the handle, but requires the time consuming assembly of several frame sections to make the fish net operable. Although these patents disclose handles and nets designed to be condensed, none of the prior art patents teaches the combination of a readily collapsible fish net assembly stored within a handle that may be rapidly deployed using one-hand to manipulate the device while still providing a device that is very sturdy, durable, and economically viable to construct.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel fishing net assembly that is suitable for use by anglers in various fishing settings having a net supporting frame is collapsible so that the net is conveniently stored and does not snag or tangle while not in use. Said object is accomplished through further objects of providing a fishing net assembly that is subject to manipulation by one-hand to deploy the net for landing a fish. Another object is to provide such fishing net that is very sturdy and durable, yet economical to produce. Still other objects will be apparent from the more detailed description of the invention which follows.
The invention comprises a collapsible and telescoping fishing net which includes a rectangular or square tubular member and a first arm member and a second arm member supporting a net pouch. The net pouch is retained on the arms by a plurality of eyelets and posts provided in the arm members. The arm members are pivotally attached to a slidable plug such that the plug, arm members and net pouch may slide into the tubular member for storage of the fishing net. The fishing net may be deployed by latch button release and sliding the tubular member so that the arms are extended outwardly. At the opposite end of the plug, the arm members are joined together by pivot pin and a locking pin is retained in a slot on the first arm member in tension with respect to the second arm member such that when the fishing net is deployed the locking pin engages a slot on the second arm member to lock the arms into place in an oval looped configuration for landing fish. The shape and sturdiness of the fishing net is improved by the design of the arms in a rectangular shape having a pair of sloping flanges on the interior surface edges of each arm. The sloping flanges rise from the mid-sections of the arms to terminate at each end of the arms such that the arms and flanges are widest at the ends of the arms, thus making the arms very sturdy despite the advantage of being constructed of inexpensive material. The flange disappears at about the mid-section of the arms to allow the arms to easily bend to take the oval looped shape desirable for supporting a fishing net and landing fish.